KUALA LUMPUR: Moderna Inc is open to working with partners from Malaysia, be it in the manufacturing or vaccine development research, in its bid to make its platform technology available to the world, senior vice president for commercial vaccines Patrick N Bergstedt said.
Bergstedt said as Malaysia was a pro-vaccination country, the company saw an opportunity to collaborate with academic centres, universities as well as hospitals in the country.
"We also see potential in collaborating and continuing to develop the science of mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid) in Malaysia to help protect the citizens.
"It is also a country that is pro-biotic and pro-industry and that makes it also an opportunity for us to look for areas of collaboration.
"There are also good talent, good skills and capabilities for us to establish a presence and build upon," he told the New Straits Times in an interview today.
Moderna today announced plans to establish a new subsidiary in Malaysia, alongside three additional subsidiaries in Taiwan, Singapore, and Hong Kong.
Bergstedt said the announcement built on Moderna's existing presence in the region, with offices in Japan, South Korea and Australia.
Moderna chief executive officer Stéphane Bancel said Malaysia was a growing player in the pharmaceutical and biotech industry, and it was looking forward to exploring opportunities for local collaboration as Moderna expanded its footprint in the Asia Pacific region.
"I am excited to build strong teams that can deliver on the potential this region and our mRNA platform has to offer," he said in a statement.
Bancel said Moderna's plan to establish a local subsidiary reflected the company's confidence in the current growth trajectory of Malaysia's pharmaceutical and healthcare industries.
"Moderna is further encouraged by the local government's commitment to biotech research and development.
"Moderna is actively recruiting a team to build a strong Moderna presence in the market as the company's mRNA therapeutics pipeline grows," he added.
Moderna's broader pipeline currently includes 40 development programmes, of which 25 are in clinical trials.
The company has offices in 12 countries globally, 10 of which are subsidiaries.
Regulators have approved Moderna's Covid-19 vaccine in more than 70 countries, including at least 19 in the Asia Pacific region.
In August 2021, Malaysia's Health Ministry granted Moderna's Covid-19 vaccine conditional approval for emergency use.